Cody Thorn: Missouri ready for OU

Friday

Neosho Daily News Sports Editor Cody Thorn talks about the atmosphere last week at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as the Mizzou Tigers took on the University of Kansas Jayhawks.

By the time most people will glance over this story, the Missouri Tigers will be several hours away from playing for the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma.

The Tigers, as probably everybody in the Western Hemisphere knows by now, are ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and Bowl Championship Series.

That means, a win over Oklahoma would lock up a spot in New Orleans for the national championship in January.

It was nearly a week ago that the Missouri team had perhaps its biggest win of the season over Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium. I was fortunate to be able to watch the game and it was quite memorable.

Unfortunately due to the start of basketball season and the conclusion of putting together a winter sports preview, I haven’t had time to write about it.

So here are just a few snippets of what things were like — perhaps things people didn’t quite get to see on ABC’s national telecast.

The crowd was almost split perfectly at the 50-yard line along the lower two sections of Arrowhead. The atmosphere was rather interesting, especially walking up the game. I didn’t find out about securing credentials for the game until about 12:30 p.m. that day, I had been turned down twice, because apparently 200 other people wanted to cover this little game.

By the time I arrived to Kansas City, it seemed half of Columbia and Lawrence were already at the game and it took about an hour to park, which was fun since it was freezing outside.

The smack talk was fun to listen to while taking the long walk around the Royals construction fences.

And walking by about every other aisle there seemed to be a KU or MU fan tailgating at the end.

As one bunch of the opposition walked by, the talk ensued. I happened to be behind a family of four Missouri fans who told their younger kids to not pay attention to what the people around them were saying.

The game, as those who saw it in person or on TV, was a rather fun one to follow. I was honestly rather surprised by the outcome.

With Missouri clinging to the lead, I was still afraid that Kansas had the ball with 17 seconds left. By that time, I was downstairs waiting for the postgame interviews and had to watch the game on TV — with the four-second delay.

I was standing next to KODE’s Brett Newtson when we heard the crowd go wild.
Brett said, “Something happened.”

We watched the TV and Missouri got the safety and the stadium got even louder as the final seconds ticked off.

It was the loudest I have heard the stadium this year after covering four Chiefs games. It was fun to be in the atmosphere.

The postgame stuff was a lot more chaotic than any Chiefs game this year.

The Gary Pinkel press conference had about 100 of the media members — all tucked into a corner in between the locker rooms.

A member of the ESPN crew walked in from the field and muttered something … I didn’t quite get all of it, but it was my thoughts exactly.

“I think it’s great,” said Pinkel about the chances of playing for the national title.

“That’s what happens when you play in the Big 12 and you’re 11-1 and possibly have a shot for a national championship. I’m excited about this. We had to win five-straight games to get a chance to play in this one, the division championship. I’m so proud of everybody.”

Former Webb City standout Adam Spieker talked about the win a little bit in the parking lot as he talked with his family.

“It feels awesome to beat our rivals for the Big 12 North championship,” said Spieker, a senior who was named one of six finalists for the Rimington Award this week, given to the nation’s top center.

Spieker and teammate Martin Rucker tied a Missouri school record for starts with 48 straight, matching Brad Smith’s mark. On Saturday, the duo will break it.

But a win is the focus.

“It will be a good rematch,” said Spieker of game. “We will bring our “A” game.”

Oklahoma won 41-31 over Missouri — the Tigers’ lone loss this season — on Oct. 13 in Norman.

If the Missouri offense is on like it was against Kansas, that would help.

And as for playing with No. 10 Chase Daniel, Spieker offered up this quote after Daniel was 40-for-49 and 361 yards and 3 touchdowns

“He is a pretty good,” saying it with a grin. “I think he is the best quarterback in the nation. He proved it tonight.”

Cody Thorn is the sports editor of the Daily News. He is picking Missouri to win, but he is very biased since he is a MIZ-ZOU fan. You can email him at sports@neoshodailynews.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.